Zillow, Compass Take listings battle social media, Chicago Billboards
Zillow and Compass have launched dueling marketing media campaigns over the disappearance of Chicagoland listings from Zillow.
As the battle between Zillow, Compass and MRED plays out in court, both sides have launched a massive marketing campaign aimed at convincing the agents, brokers and consumers responsible for the disappearance of Chicagoland listings from Zillow.
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The battle since MRED pulled the plug on Zillow’s listing feed early Wednesday morning has spread across paid Instagram ads, LinkedIn comment threads and broker marketing channels. And now Compass says it’s preparing to take its message to physical billboards in Chicago.
In one post the revelation of the effortCompass CEO Robert Reffkin unveiled a handful of billboard displays with the message “Zillow doesn’t have all the listings” and asked agents where the company should place them. A Compass spokesperson confirmed this Inman that the company is preparing to place billboards in Chicago, although they did not provide any details about the placement.
Robert Reffkin’s Instagram post announcing Compass’ billboard campaign in Chicago.
In the comments, Compass allies suggested locations ranging from Chicago freeways and major sports arenas to the front door of the National Association of Realtors on Michigan Avenue.
Meanwhile, Zillow has been running paid ads on Instagram, telling agents that “MRED has broken our access to your listings” while promoting its ads “BeOnZillow” direct feed program for agents who want to send listings directly to Zillow. Compass has launched its own paid ad campaign, arguing that “Zillow can’t show you what it doesn’t have” while promoting its website.
Compass-driven brands @properties | Christie’s International Real Estate, Coldwell Banker Realty and Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty joined the messaging push, with each posting a variation on the message that consumers may not find all available homes in the Chicago area on Zillow.
The dispute has also made its way to LinkedIn, where Zillow and Compass executives and corporate communications staff responded directly to messages, bringing the issue to the attention of an audience outside the real estate industry.
Zillow Chief Industry Development Officer Errol Samuelson did just that responded immediately to messagesarguing that Zillow “had not suppressed a single listing in Chicagoland,” and adding that the entire debacle had to do with Zillow’s decision not to show nine Compass listings in Florida, Georgia and California.
Reffkin, meanwhile, has argued that Zillow’s feed was removed because the portal filtered listings by agent or broker name, pointing to NAR’s no-filtering policy, while also sharing screenshots of reporting in the national mainstream media and arguing that “consumers everywhere will know they can no longer find all the home listings on Zillow.”
Redfin has also confirmed this Inman that it plans to launch a targeted marketing blitz in Chicago as well, emphasizing that consumers can search and find all available listings on its platform. Rocket-owned Redfin started a brokerage firm with Compass earlier this year.
An example of a targeted ad that Redfin wants to show in Chicago.
“This fully integrated marketing campaign invites buyers to compare Redfin with any other site,” Rocket CMO Jonathan Mildenhall said via email. “With the full MLS inventory, plus the exclusive launch of ‘Redfin Early Access’ offers that buyers can’t find on any other major site, we are confident Redfin will become the site of choice for Chicago homebuyers.”
Zillow sought emergency relief in court Friday morning, asking a judge to intervene after MRED shut down the portal’s access to its Chicagoland listings. The court fight could still quickly change the facts on the ground, especially if Zillow wins the relief, leaving MRED to restore its food.
But regardless of the outcome in court, the advertising blitz has raised the stakes and pushed what could otherwise be an industry dispute into the court of public opinion and consumer confidence.
Update: After publishing this story, a Zillow spokesperson confirmed to Inman that a federal judge had ordered MRED to restore Zillow’s access to listings originating from the MLS.
Reporter Taylor Anderson contributed to this report.
Email AJ LaTrace
